The cover of a tourist guide to Lyme Regis, published in the 1900's. Click on the cover to access modern tourist information.

Lyme Regis lies in Dorset, close to the border with Devon, in a region of great beauty and some geological instability. It has a long and fascinating history - highlights include the landing of the Duke of Monmouth in the last (slightly) successful invasion attempt on England, a prominent local role in the Civil War, and the first finds of important types of fossil, including ichthyosaurs. There are literary connections too - Jane Austen's Persuasion and John Fowles' The French Lieutenant's Woman being the best known.

To read the introduction to C Wanklyn's well-known 1927 local history, click here.

It's surprising how little has changed from the state he describes - except that the Railway no longer reaches closer than Axminster.

For lots more about Dorset click here

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